Great Games Based On Cartoons

In celebration of South Park: The Stick of Truth releasing tomorrow, we reflect on other video games inspired by cartoons on TV. Many licensed games leave something to be desired, but there are certain games that surprise us. This list compiles games that were based off of cartoon TV shows, but are still excellent games.

Darkwing Duck (NES)

Darkwing Duck bears a lot of similarities to another Capcom developed game: Mega Man. Both were side scrolling, platforming games where you shot a gun, but Darkwing Duck had a few differences that set it apart. There’s a focus on vertical exploration, Darkwing Duck can actually grab on to ledges, shoot from them, and pull himself up. You can choose between different levels that each has a different boss, similar to Mega Man. We’ve got a Replay of Darkwing Duck that has comedian James Adomian guesting and showing off his incredible knowledge of the cartoon.

Felix the Cat (NES)

Felix the Cat came out in the golden age of side-scrolling platformers, with Mario sitting at the top. Felix takes a lot of inspiration from Mario, but still is a distinct and fun experience. The main parallel to draw is how he transforms. Felix collects power-ups that change his appearance and attacks, similar to the Tanooki suit or fire ball, except Felix’s transformations are more bizarre. He changes from a cat, to a magician, to a car, and then to a tank.

The Adventures of Batman and Robin (SNES)

The Adventures of Batman and Robin is part platformer; part beat ‘em up. It is impressive in the way it handles something that is unfortunately too often overlooked in games previous to this one: Batman’s equipment. You’re able to bring a variety of items into a level, such as the grappling hook or batarang, and use them like the Batman from the show. Other similarities to the show include a fantastic score and aesthetics. And yes, The Adventures of Batman and Robin did release on other platforms besides the Super Nintendo, but the SNES version is considered the best one by fans.

Simpsons Hit & Run (PS2, Xbox, GC, PC)

Simpsons Hit & Run bears an undeniable resemblance to the GTA series, though it is slightly more family friendly. Simpsons Hit & Run is an open world, sandbox style game where you can drive around the town of Springfield or attack pedestrians. The game is stuffed full of Simpsons humor and self-references, which shouldn’t be surprising since the writers for the show came on to pen the dialogue and plot. It’s lauded for its humor and voice acting by the actual cast.

X-Men Arcade Game (Arcade, PSN, XBLA)

X-Men the Arcade Game isn’t based off the popular X-Men cartoon from the '90s. Oddly enough, it is actually based on a pilot of X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, which never made it past the first episode. While the X-Men comics of the '90s touched on a lot of serious topics, the show was campier for a younger audience. The X-Men Arcade game is ridiculous to a whole new level. It’s a fairly standard brawler: You can choose between Wolverine, Colossus, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, and Storm. The story is nonsensical, and the game has amazingly fumbled lines like “I am Magneto, master of magnet!” It was also released a few years ago on PSN and XBLA, with the same dialogue, story, and graphics.

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